Gwinnett County police are investigating the death of 44-year-old Sharell Canty, whose body was discovered Sunday morning at a home on the 300 block of Wilkerson Way in unincorporated Grayson, Georgia.
A neighbor called authorities after making the grim discovery, prompting officers to respond to the scene where they found Canty deceased.
By Monday, police had arrested 48-year-old Stephany Byrom in connection with the killing. Byrom faces charges of malice and felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Investigators have described the incident as a domestic-related homicide, though they have released few additional details as the case remains under active investigation.
A Family Shattered by Grief
While police continue piecing together what happened on Wilkerson Way, Canty’s family is trying to make sense of a loss that feels impossible to process.
Her cousin, Aleatha Hazle-Ponder, took to social media to share her heartbreak in words that paint a picture of a woman who was deeply loved and cherished by everyone fortunate enough to know her.
“I have been sitting here all day trying to wrap my head around the devastating news that our family received today,” Hazle-Ponder wrote. “My precious baby Sharell Canty was killed yesterday. I ask God how? Why?”
Hazle-Ponder described her cousin as “the most fun, loving, generous, caring, and precious person that you ever want to meet.”
She recalled making trips to Syracuse on weekends simply to spend time with her, drawn in by what she called Canty’s sweet and innocent presence.
Those visits clearly left lasting impressions. The sound of Canty calling out her nickname, LeeLee, is something Hazle-Ponder says she will carry with her forever.
The two kept in regular contact by phone, and Hazle-Ponder remembers that no matter when she called to check in, Canty always responded with the same confident and cheerful reassurance: “Cuz, you know I’m good!”
A Life Full of Promise Cut Short
Beyond the warmth she showed her family, those close to Canty say she had so much more she wanted to give the world.
Her cousin’s tribute makes clear that her death was not simply the end of a life, but the interruption of a future filled with purpose and intention.
“The tears just won’t stop flowing knowing she was robbed of her life with so much more that she had planned to offer this world,” Hazle-Ponder wrote. “If you had the pleasure of being her family or part of her inner circle, you were truly blessed to share in her borrowed time.”
The tribute closes with words that speak to both the depth of the bond the two shared and the permanence of the love that outlives even the most sudden and senseless loss.
“Rest easy my sweet baby cousin. Your LeeLee will always cherish our love. Until we meet again my sweet baby girl.”
Canty’s death has left a visible wound in the lives of those who knew her best. As her family grieves and searches for answers, the Gwinnett County Police Department continues its investigation into the circumstances surrounding her murder.
